An Oswaldtwistle victim of the 7/7 bombings texted friends and family to say she was okay before getting on board an ill-fated bus, an inquest in London has heard.

Mum-of-two Marie Hartley only boarded the bus after being evacuated from a Tube station following a series of explosions on the Underground system.

She was one of 13 people killed when a bomb tore through it in Tavistock Square.

The 34-year-old, who worked for a greetings card firm, was in London to attend an exhibition with friend and colleague Camille Scott – who was blown out of the bus and spent three weeks in St Thomas’s Hospital, London, recovering from horrific facial injuries.

Marie left a husband David and two sons.

Hugo Keith QC, counsel to the inquests, told the hearing Mrs Hartley had contacted relatives following the explosions on the Underground system to reassure them of her safety.

"She had been evacuated from a Tube station and had sent a text to friends and family to tell them she was safe, only to board the ill-fated Number 30 bus, which was bombed in Tavistock Square and where she lost her life," he said.

"She and her husband were soul mates, living totally for their sons, and were an extremely happy family unit," Mr Keith told the inquests.

As a youngster, Mrs Hartley was described as a ‘happy and inquisitive little girl’ with an "outgoing personality’.

She had been a talented artist and ‘inspired everyone who worked with her’.

The bombings were a series of coordinated suicide attacks on London’s public transport system during the morning rush hour.

On the morning of July 7, 2005 four al-Qaeda associated militants detonated four bombs, three on the London Underground, in quick succession, and a fourth bomb exploding an hour later on a double-decker bus in Tavistock Square.

The inquest into the deaths of the 52 victims of the London bombings on began on October 11 last year and are expected to be concluded in March.

The inquest has been separated into four parts - one for each of the bomb sites - and is the first detailed public investigation into the attacks.

The two main points that the inquest hopes to answer are: whether the security services, who were aware of the identity of the bombers, could have prevented the bombings; and whether the response from the emergency services could have been better.

Speaking in July last year, on the fifth anniversary since his sister’s death, Ian Targett told the Accrington Observer: "Although it is five years on it is still very raw.

"It never goes away, you can just deal with it a bit better.

He added: "I was very close to my sister. She would light up a room and was a strong character.

"She was well liked and had a lot of friends. I think about her every day.